It’s the first night of winter. The heaters were turned on to combat the freezing cold. Suddenly, all the heaters went dead. Our heaters share a circuit breaker with the laundry clothes dryer, too. We probably have one too many high wattage appliance turned on. To get the heaters powered up again, that meant stepping outside to switch the circuit breaker back on.

I’ve come to discover that most houses here in Oz have the fuse box outside. I sort of expected it to be inside a cupboard or in the basement. But, no. Here, they have it outside. It’s stupid, not to mention very scary, if you think about it.

Anyway, I had to step out of the house to go to the dark corner where the fuse box is just so I can switch a circuit breaker. When I opened the door, I stared out into the night. The street was covered with dense fog and it was dead quiet. It’s a scene straight out of a Stephen King novel or story, more specifically: The Mist. Or even a horror game like Silent Hill. It didn’t help any that it was freezing outside. It only added to the chill I was already feeling.

I had no choice but to brave it out. We have to have our heaters back on. I walked as fast as I could toward the fuse box without running, to avoid causing a wind chill. I switched it back on and hurried back into the house where it was warm. And safe.

In hindsight, I probably should’ve just gotten myself a coat before stepping out. Wearing only a T-shirt and long shorts wasn’t at all appropriate clothing for a cold winter foggy night outdoors. Still, it was cool (no pun intended) to see the misty neighbourhood streets. It was awesome. Raquel even took some photos to give you an idea of what it all looked like.